Michael P. Maslanka

Michael P. Maslanka is managing partner of the Dallas office of Constangy, Brooks & Smith. His e-mail address is mmaslanka@constangy.com. He is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He writes the “Work Matters” column for Texas Lawyer’s In-House Texas publication and records labor and employment podcasts that can be found at www.texaslawyer.com.

January 23, 2012

The well-balanced lawyer: the role of symmetry in attractiveness, leadership potential

I read several years ago that one characteristic dominates assessments of attractiveness: symmetry between the right and left halves of the body. The November 2011 issue of the Harvard Business Review got me thinking about the issue again. In "How Earlobes Can Signify Leadership Potential," Carl Senior, Robin Martin, Michael West and Rowena M. Yeats argue that their research demonstrates that the symmetrical are viewed as more intelligent and dominant than others. That's bad news for the dating lives of lopsided lawyers, but it might be good news if they want to lead in the 21st century. People often view the asymmetrical as transformative leaders, capable of motivating a team and settting their needs aside for the group's good, because the asymmetrical demonstrate empathy and social intelligence. The article theorizes that childhood asymmetry forces people to adapt to how others view them, thus developing greater emotional intelligence than the more genetically well endowed. So, how people look dictates who they become.